I'm not quite a LaVeyan Satanist, thought that is where I satarted, and I still incorporate a lot of that philosophy into my own, but I'm more of a satanic animist. But, I don't worship Satan, or anyone, for that matter, but I do respect him and regard him (or rather, the spirit[s] that answer to the name) as kin.

If people were to ask me if I worshipped Satan I would say yes!, however I do no worship Satan as in the big red guy who lives in hell, obviously because I do not believe in these mythical anthropomorphic beings, but I worship Satan as in what he represents to me, these representations represent my life, they are the Satanic Statements.

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The Mind is like a parachute, it doesn't work unless you open it!

Atheist have a philosophy that "this is all there is so we all should get along and be good to one another".

If Satan is the "good being" "he" would not want nor would "he" require adoration. I see the Levey's Satanism as empowering or more accurately liberating.

Most of us have suffered some sort of spiritual abuse. Xians are told they are garbage and need to be born again and Muslims are told to submit and prostrate themselves as they rape their women and girl children. If I was not born right the first time I didn't cause it.

I liken the Abrahamic philosophy of which many of us are victims similar to the toxic relationship between a dysfunctional alcoholic spouse and the other spouse who has been guilted and manipulated into being and enabler and an apologist for being normal.

As stupid as this question appears, I'm truly very confused. Is Satan worshiped in LeVeyan Satanism? Or is he more of a symbolic figure? Is this forum focused more on Atheism? Or is it diverse, much like Judaism, where there are those who worship god, and those who do not?

Again, sorry if I seem ignorant. I've been looking through the Satanic Bible, and have found little to explain this yet.

-Faite

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LaVeyan Satanism does not involve the literal worship of any being other than the self,[1] but rather uses "Satan" as a symbol of carnality and earthly values, of man's inherent nature,

Anton LaVey and the membership of the Church of Satan 1966-1975 believed in and worshipped Satan openly and unabashedly. That's what the Invocation to Satan in the Satanic Bible and the adult rite of Satanic Baptism in the Satanic Rituals were all about. Take a look at the 1968 documentary Satanishere, and read my The Church of Satan history here.

After 1975 [for reasons detailed & documented in COS], Anton and his subsequent followers proclaimed themselves to be atheists, just using "Satan" and "Satanism" as exciting symbols, since Atheism by itself is dull.

Back in the days of the original Church, one media interviewer asked me why he should join the Church of Satan instead of a Christian one. I said, "First, we're cheaper - $13 buys you a lifetime membership [as it still did in 1970]. Secondly our Friday night services are much more fun, sexier, and spookier." We didn't have to argue theology much beyond that most of the time.

Odd that the Satanic Bible, published in 1969, makes it quite clear that Satan was not thought of as a literal entity, and instead offers some plainly non-theistic earthly philosophy that only though serious eisegesis or wishful thinking can be re-invented as theism.

I thought you took your one trick pony and left? You make a big dramatic emo post about how you are never coming back, yet here you still are repeating the same crap over and over that you have been repeating all along. Yes we get it, you have an ebook, and real Satanists worship the devil. Go away already.

If you look at some early documentation or interviews, you'll notice that Satan is spoken of differently then is done afterwards. Of course we now translate a mentioning of him as "god" into a symbolic nature because that is the only version we know.

If, or if not, there has been an evolution in how he was perceived is something only those that were part of it during that period know.

Anton LaVey and the membership of the Church of Satan 1966-1975 believed in and worshipped Satan openly and unabashedly. That's what the Invocation to Satan in the Satanic Bible and the adult rite of Satanic Baptism in the Satanic Rituals were all about. Take a look at the 1968 documentary Satanishere, and read my The Church of Satan history here.

After 1975 [for reasons detailed & documented in COS], Anton and his subsequent followers proclaimed themselves to be atheists, just using "Satan" and "Satanism" as exciting symbols, since Atheism by itself is dull.

Back in the days of the original Church, one media interviewer asked me why he should join the Church of Satan instead of a Christian one. I said, "First, we're cheaper - $13 buys you a lifetime membership [as it still did in 1970]. Secondly our Friday night services are much more fun, sexier, and spookier." We didn't have to argue theology much beyond that most of the time.

That's quite an extensive writing on the CoS. I read the first 9 pages its great! Saved it to my computer and will read more later.

Satan, Set, God, Consciousness, and Me are ALL physical real things. It's called the universe. There is not two of any one thing. Do you know anything about quantum mechanics? Let me answer that for you, NO!, you do not. E=MC2 Matter and energy are two different forms of the same thing. Why would you worship a being that needed anything from you? Sounds inferior! Set wants for nothing cause there is no thing Set is not. By the way, where in the universe is Hell?

"Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret." ;-)

Might want to take another look at the Dr. cause you ain't ever going to have anything but BS anger with that mind SET.

Satan, Set, God, Consciousness, and Me are ALL physical real things. It's called the universe. There is not two of any one thing. Do you know anything about quantum mechanics? Let me answer that for you, NO!, you do not. E=MC2 Matter and energy are two different forms of the same thing. Why would you worship a being that needed anything from you? Sounds inferior! Set wants for nothing cause there is no thing Set is not. By the way, where in the universe is Hell?

"Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret." ;-)

Might want to take another look at the Dr. cause you ain't ever going to have anything but BS anger with that mind SET.

All one ought...is enjoy.

LOL why do these new agey types always fall back on QM to justify their beliefs. Don't forget to drink the kool-aide if you want to catch your space-ship on time.

Modern/LaVeyan Satanists generally are atheists, meaning they do not believe in or worship any kind of god or deity.

The "void" of worship, however, is filled with a sort of selfishness and self-reverence that Satanists call "self-deification".

In short, Modern Satanists are a TYPE of atheist. They are not exclusively separate.

Good post. I would go further and say 'Atheist' isn't really a relevant term when discussing Satanists or Satanism. Only by contrast to mass psychosis is the term relevant to anything at all.

Yes, Satanists don't invoke superstition or make believe in our view of cosmology, but so what? I also don't sprinkle sand on my sandwiches, but that is neither here nor there.

It makes my eyes roll when people talk about 'Atheism' as if there was some sort of prescribed set of Atheist behaviours, or maybe a secret handshake or even a clubhouse. That's Satanism you're thinking of.

Odd that the Satanic Bible, published in 1969, makes it quite clear that Satan was not thought of as a literal entity, and instead offers some plainly non-theistic earthly philosophy that only though serious eisegesis or wishful thinking can be re-invented as theism.

The SB's "Hell, the Devil, and How to Sell Your Soul" essay speaks of Satan and his fellow Dæmons quite literally throughout its 8+ pages. Anton's comment that most Satanists don't accept Satan as the popular comic-book caricature, but rather as the "Powers of Darkness" of nature doesn't disavow this any more than a J/C's denial of YHVH as an old man in a white robe implies disbelief in same as universal creator-principle. And of course, the SB's Invocation to Satan is precisely that, and was so uttered, sincerely, during 1966-1975.

Methinks 600C veterans have discussed this previously, but I was responding here to "Faite", who is apparently new to this question and was [understandably] a bit confused by the post-75 "Church's" frantic Satandoesnotexistism. So I offered a simple, straight answer.

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I thought you took your one trick pony and left? You make a big dramatic emo post about how you are never coming back, yet here you still are repeating the same crap over and over that you have been repeating all along. Yes we get it, you have an ebook, and real Satanists worship the devil. Go away already.

I departed previously because I needed to quit having fun on the Internet for awhile and get Draft #11 of The Temple of Set finished and uploaded. Did that. Then I returned since I was welcomed to do so, and because I rather enjoy the highly-intellectual and deeply-thoughtful discussions about Satanism-as-such that prevail here. If my posts upset you, I think you can set your user-profile to censor them from your sight. Be happy, untroubled, and soothed.

The SB's "Hell, the Devil, and How to Sell Your Soul" essay speaks of Satan and his fellow Dæmons quite literally throughout its 8+ pages.

Oh what a load of crap. That essay quite clearly places Satan in context of religious mythology. It speaks of satan taking on the animal characteristics of past gods, and names them for the clear purpose of psychodrama. Unless you think Anton believed all of the infernal names represented actual gods?

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Then I returned since I was welcomed to do so, and because I rather enjoy the highly-intellectual and deeply-thoughtful discussions about Satanism-as-such that prevail here.

Lies. You are here to push your religious agenda, and to air your 30 plus year old sour grapes. If this were not the case you wouldn't be harping on the exact same point/s (Satanism=devil worship/read my ebook!) eternally. Some of us aren't so dull as you seem to think we are.